CAS presents ‘Animal Avatars’ reading

Cover image for “The Hungry Girls and Other Stories” by Patricia Eakins

Contributed photo

December 11, 2013 —

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — The Catskill Art Society will present local author Patricia Eakins and poet Bertha Rogers for “Animal Avatars: Real and Imaged Beasts,” a public reading of fiction and poetry at the CAS Arts Center at 48 Main Street, on Saturday, December 14 from 3 to 4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, and small donations will be accepted at the door.

Eakins, a writer with strong ties to Sullivan County who is currently based in New York City, will read from her collection of stories “The Hungry Girls,” a book of counterfables about imaginary animals and feral people. She will also read excerpts from “The Marvelous Adventures of Pierre Baptiste,” a novel in the voice of a slave who taught himself to be a natural historian in the tradition of Buffon, and other excerpts.

Rogers is a poet, translator, book artist and director of the Bright Hill Literary Center in Treadwell. She will share her translations of the Anglo-Saxon riddle-poems from the ancient Exeter Book, as well as her original riddle-poems and her poems on the theme of humanity’s treatment of animals and nature, and will share from her translation of “Beowulf.”

The entire event explores rural life and culture through literature focused on timeless subjects of wildlife. Books will be available for sale and the writers will answer questions from the audience following the reading.